Joanne Lara, MA was a professional dancer before becoming a classroom education specialist and university professor. She was the founder of the nonprofit organization Autism Movement Therapy®, based in Los Angeles, California, which certifies, trains, and licenses dancers, educators, parents, and professional service providers in AMT. Joanne was a Core Adjunct Professor at National University in LA, California and taught weekly Autism Movement Therapy classes in Van Nuys, CA, where she had a private ABA behavioral consultation practice. She produced the documentary Generation A: Portraits of Autism and the ARTS, was the executive producer of the LA musical event Temple Grandin & Friends: Autism Works Now and was a columnist for Autism Asperger's Digest and Sensory World.
Programs like Joanne's Autism Movement Therapy offer opportunities for our kids to develop the necessary and fundamental skills that benefit all our kids. Art saved my life! Temple Grandin, Ph.D. In addition to being a must read , Autism Movement Therapy (R) as described in this book is a must experience for anyone wishing to learn how to empower individuals on the autism spectrum to first be more comfortable within their bodies, and second, achieve greater success interacting with the surrounding environment. -- From the foreword by Stephen M. Shore, Clinical Assistant Professor at Adelphi University, and internationally-known author, speaker, and individual on the autism spectrum The beauty of this book is that Joanne breaks down AMT (R) for all those interested in not only delivering a music and movement program but one specifically designed for individuals on the autism spectrum, including pedagogy and Best Practices ideology. -- Erica Frailey-Matthews, The Autism & Movement Project The arts empower people with autism to connect. Joanne's whole brain approach, and the stories of the children and adolescents Joanne works with are inspiring and accessible, with the guidance of her book. -- Jane Ferris Richardson, EdD, ATR-BC, Associate Professor of Art Therapy, Lesley University, and Art Therapist in Private Practice, specialising in children and young people on the autism spectrum Joanne's book captures it all: how AMT works, the impact of art and art expression, and the relationship of music and movement with the brain and its pathways. Joanne's unique way of intertwining her real life experience with children and their progress through AMT provides the reader with a true understanding of how AMT can impact every facet of a person's life by 'waking up the brain'. -- Lisa M. Gifford, Autism Supports and Innovations Director, AMT Workshop Instructor, Authorized Social Stories Coach, Herkimer ARC